COAL MINE FATALITY - On Thursday, February 16, 2006, a 33-year old roof bolting machine operator with 7 years mining experience was fatally injured when he was struck by draw rock measuring 3 � feet by 14 feet by 1 to 9 inches thick. The victim was assisting two other miners in the removal of a cement block brattice when the fall occurred. A scoop was used to ram the brattice just before the accident. The rock fell from between roof bolts at the location where the brattice was removed.

Best Practices

Make frequent roof examinations and be alert to changing roof conditions at all times, with extra attention after activities that could cause roof disturbance.

Train all miners on the importance of roof examinations and the hazards involved with disturbing load bearing structures.

Conduct a risk assessment, identify all possible hazards associated with each task, and ensure that you are safely positioned.

Identify and remove loose roof material from a safe position.

When adverse roof is encountered, use supplemental support.

Submit your own suggestion for a remedy to prevent this type of accident in the future. Please specify if you wish your submission to be anonymous or whether your name may be used. Please include the year of the fatality and the fatality number.

This is the 20th fatality reported during calendar year 2006 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 2005, there was one fatality reported in coal mining. This is the second fatality classified as Fall of Roof or Back in 2006. There were no fatalities in this category at this time in 2005.

The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality.